Hawke's Bay leaders say they're in the dark on when money from a special Lotto appeal will be dished out.

More than $10 million raised by the draw set up in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle has sat unspent with the Department of Internal Affairs for nearly a year.

It expects there'll be action this month.

Chair of the Hawkes Bay Fruitgrowers' Charitable Trust, Brydon Nisbet, says he didn't even know there was money available until early this morning.

"There's still a huge amount of need out there, we're nearly a year since the cyclone and there's still a massive amount of work to do, there's still people who are displaced, that are homeless."

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